Pile fabric and method of weaving



1935- H. L. 'SHUTTLEWORTH 1,986,294

PILE FABRIC AND METHOD OF WEAVING Filed Jan. 5, 1955 ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 1, 1935 PATENT TOFFICE PILE FABRIC AND METHOD OF WEAVING Howard L. Shuttleworth, Amsterdam, N. 1.,

assignor to Mohawk Carpet Mills, Inc., Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New York I Application January 5, 1933, Serial No. 650,212

I 5 Claim.

This invention relates to pile fabrics, especial- 1y tuft pile fabrics, in which the pile is formed of yarns which are drawn from,sources of supply. inserted between the warp threads, and

5 looped about the weft shots during the weaving operation, the ends of the yarns projecting out of the fabric to form tufts. An example of the fabric referred to bears the name Axminster, and the invention is concerned more particularly with a new fabric which resembles Ax- 'minster fabrics, but has pile tufts on both faces and is, therefore, reversible, and a novel method by which the new fabric can be made at low cost.

The pile fabric of the invention may be made in variousv forms, and for purposes of explanation, a three plane fabric involving the principles of-the invention will be described in detail, although it is understood that the invention is not restricted in utility to that particular fabric but is applicable to the manufacture of numerous other fabrics of the Axminster variety,.such as two-plane fabrics of the three shot cycle type a In making a three plane fabric, in accordance with the invention, withthe weft shots inserted in cycles of three, I employ stuffer warps in upper and lower levels and insert the first shot of each cycle above the upper stufler warps, the second shot between the upper and lower stuifer warps, and the third shot below the lower stuffer warps, binding the shots in place by binder warps. The pile yarns are then inserted following the insertion of the first weft shot .of each cycle and after the second shot is inserted and beaten up, the pile yarns are looped about the second shot so that the ends project out of the fabric on the same sidethereof to .form tufts. To produce the desired reversible effect, the pile yarns, while looped about the same shot of each cycle, are bent around opposite sides of that shot in successive cycles, so that in the odd cycles, the pile yarns may be looped around the bottom of the shot and form tufts at the upperface of the fabric, while in theeven cycles the yarns are looped around the top of the shot and form tufts at the lower face of the fabric. A fabric is thus produced having pile on both surfaces and capable of being used with either surface on top.

For a better understanding ,of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of fabric embodying the invention, the various elements of the fabric being separated to illustrate the construction more clearly, and

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the fabric in normal condition.

In the drawing, the fabric illustrated is of the three shot per cycle type and it includes stuifer warps 10 and 11 in upper and lower levels, respectively, and a set of binder warps 12. The weft shots 13 are inserted above stuffer warps 10 and 1-1, and the-weft shots 15 lie below the stuifer warps 11, the weft shots being bound in place by the binder warps 12 which cross over each weft shot 13 and under each weft shot 15.

The tuft yarns 16 are looped about the weft shot 14 of each cycle and the yarns forming the row of tufts associated with one cycle project out of the fabric at one face while the yarns forming the rows of tufts associated with the next successive cycle project out at the other face. Thus the rows of tufts in the fabric appear alternately on opposite faces and the fabric is accordingly reversible.

Various looms may be employed for'weaving the new fabric but I prefer to use a loom containing the. double combing mechanism shown in the co-pending application of Shuttleworth, Serial No. 618,839, filed June. 23, 1932. The Shuttleworth looms include an upper comb lying above the warps and a lower comb lying beneath the warps. The loom may include either tube frames or gripping mechanism for introducing the lengths of pile yarn-into the fabric. The

combing devices of the loom are actuated in timed relation to the functioning of the other parts and in weaving the fabric on the loom, the first shot 13 of each cycle is introduced, the pile yamsare then inserted, and the second shot 14 of the cycle is then insertedand beaten up against the yarns. The lower comb then functions to turn the lower ends 17 of the yarns upward around the shot 14 to project out of the fabric. The lowermost shot 15 of the cycle is then insertedbelow the lower stuffer warps and this particular cycle is completed. In the next cycle, similar operations are carried on except that after the insertion of the second shot, the upper comb comes into action and turns down the ends 18 of the pile yarns around the second shot 14 of the cycle. While the upper comb is .operating, the lower comb is idle and vice-versa, the mechanism for actuating the combs thus causing each comb to function in every other,

cycle instead of once loom.

In the new fabric of the three-shotvariety, it will be observed that each tuft is looped about a per cycle as in the ordinary the b m and sides of each tuft loop is held firmly in place by adjacent shots which lie above the upper stuifer and below the-lower stuifer warps. Also, in the new fabric, each row of tufts includes both ends of each pile yarn and thus the pile yarns provide excellent coverage and both faces of the fabric have a solid unifo pile surface.

I claim:

1. A method of making a reversible pile fabric per cycle lying below the lower stufler warps, binder warps engaging the weft shots 'to hold them in position, and pile yarns each looped only about the weft shot'of each cycle 71 between the upper and lower stuifer warps and having both its ends projecting beyond said shot at one face of 'the fabric, the pile yarns forming loops lying inrows extending transversely of the fabric withthe loops in successive rows along thet ifabric opening alternately'in opposite direc ons. I

containing stuifer warps, weft shots, binder '4. In a method of making a tuft pile fabric warps, and pile yarns, which comprises inserting a weft shot lying above all the stufler warps, inserting lengths of tuft yarns between said warps with the ends of said yarns lying on opposite sides of said warps, inserting a weft shot to lie between an upper group and a lower group of stuffer warps, looping said yarns about said last weft shot to lie with their two ends exposed at one face of the fabric, inserting a weft shot to lie below all the stufler warps,r repeating said insertion of weft shots and pile yarns but looping said yarns about their weft shot to lie with their two ends exposed at the other face of said fabric, and' continuing the insertion of weft shots and pile yarns to form a fabric having rows of pile tufts lying alternately at opposite faces of the fabric.

2. A multi-plane tuft pile fabric of the Axminster type having pile tufts on both faces,

- which comprises stuffer' wa'rps in upper and lower levels, weft shots inserted in cycles, certain of said shots lying above the upper stuifer warps, other shots lying between the upper and lower stuifer warps, and the remaining shots lying below the lower stuffer warps, binder 'warps' engaging the weft shots and binding them in place against the stuffer warps, and pile yarns each looped about a single weft shot only lying between the upper and lower stufier warps and having both its ends projecting beyond said shot at one face of the fabric, the pile yarns being looped about the same shot in each cycle and forming loops lying in rows extending transversely of the fabric with the loops in successive rows along the fabric opening alternately in' opposite directions.

3. A three plane tuft pile fabric of the Axminster type having pile tufts on both faces which comprises stufl'er warps in upper and lower levels, weft shots, said shots having been inserted in cycles of three with one shot per cycle lying above the upper-stutter warps, another shot per cycle lying between the upper and lower stuifer warps, and the remaining shot of the Axminster type containing stuifer warps, weft shots, binder warps and pile yarns, the

steps of. inserting shots of weft in cycles with.

the shots of each cycle lying in different positions relative to said stuifer warps, drawing lengths of tuft yarns from supplies and inserting said lengths through the group of warps to lie in rows, said yarns in a row being inserted between .consecutive insertions of weft shots, and bending one end of each tuft yarn in a row to loop 'said yarn about the succeeding weft shot only, opposite ends of the yarns in successive rows being bent around. said shots following said rows to-cause both ends of the yarns in one row to project out of one face of the fabric and both ends of the yarns in the next row along the fabric to project out of the other face of the fabric, the yarns in successive rows being looped about the same shot in their respective cycles.

- '5. In a method of making a tuft pile fabric of the Axminster type containing stuifer warps,

weft shots, binder warps and pile yarns, the steps of inserting shots of weft in cycles with the shots of each cycle lying in different positions relative to said stuifer warps, drawing lengths of tuft yarns from supplies and inserting said lengths through the group of warps to lie in rows, said yams in a row being inserted between consecutive insertions of weft shots, combing one end of each tuft yarn in every other row along the fabric to loop said yarn about the succeeding weft shot only, and combing the other end of each tuft yarn in the remaining rows in the opposite direction about the succeeding weft shot only, said combing 'operations causing both ends of each yarn to lie exposed at the same face of the fabric with the ends of the yarns of successive rows along the fabric exposed at opposite faces of the fabric, the yarns in successive rows being looped about the same shot in their respective cycles.

HOWARD L. SHU'I'I'LEWORTH. 

